Battery storage can help keep Long Island accessible

I'm a Long Island guy, always have been, still proud to be. I grew up here, went to school here, played sports here, and now I'm raising my family here. Long Island isn't just where I live; it's part of who I am. Like many parents, I think constantly about affordability, safety and whether this region will remain a place working families can realistically call home.

That's why the conversation around energy, especially battery storage and infrastructure, matters so much to me. Not because it's trendy or political, but because it directly affects the quality of life Long Islanders are trying to hold onto.

Our suburban region consumes a tremendous amount of energy but produces very little. For decades, we've relied on power generated elsewhere to keep our homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, downtowns and transportation systems running. That imbalance worked when demand was lower. It doesn't anymore.

The way we live has changed, dramatically, even in just one generation. The Long Island my grandparents knew was simpler: one television, a landline, kids playing outside until the lights came on, fewer demands on the grid. Today, the average household has multiple smartphones, laptops, televisions, smart appliances, hours spent gaming, and devices running constantly. Many homes double as offices. All of this connectivity depends on reliable electricity — and energy demand will continue to rise.

For more than a decade, my work has focused on building bridges between policy, people and opportunity, especially for communities of color and working families. One reality has remained consistent: When new infrastructure is debated, the loudest voices are rarely the ones feeling the pressure most directly. Families facing rising energy costs, unreliable service and limited economic opportunity are often missing from the conversation, though they have the most at stake.

Affordability has to be central to how we think about energy.

Long Island was built by working and middle class families. That legacy is under serious strain, as housing costs, taxes, child care and utilities push more families to the edge. For young people starting their careers, and for parents trying to stay rooted here, energy costs aren't an abstract policy issue, they're part of the monthly math that determines whether staying on Long Island is even possible.

Battery storage is the key. It plays a practical role in stabilizing the grid, managing peak demand and preventing price spikes. For communities that have lived with aging infrastructure for decades, often without seeing meaningful reinvestment, energy storage also represents economic opportunity.

Safety always comes first. But those conversations should be grounded in facts and an understanding that technology evolves. Energy systems today are governed by stronger standards, better design and lessons learned over time. New York's battery safety regulations are among the most rigorous in the country.

When it comes down to it, energy decisions aren't just about infrastructure. They're about quality of life, and whether the place we love remains accessible or quietly slips out of reach.

If we want Long Island to remain a place where working families can build a life, not just remember one, we have to be honest about the world in front of us. We use more energy. We rely on it more deeply. And we have to produce and manage it responsibly.

The choices we make are the difference between Long Island as a memory and Long Island as a future our kids can afford to call home.

This guest essay reflects the views of Dan Lloyd, founder and president of Minority Millennials Inc.